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Dilnot Commission Report published

The Commission on Funding of Care and Support has presented its findings to the Government in its report Fairer Care Funding, published on 4th July 2011.

The independent commission, set up by the Government last July, was asked to recommend a fair and sustainable funding system for adult social care in England.

Among the recommendations in the report are:

Individuals’ lifetime contributions towards their social care costs – which are currently potentially unlimited – should be capped. After the cap is reached, individuals would be eligible for full state support. This cap should be between £25,000 and £50,000. £35,000 is considered the most appropriate and fair figure;

The means-tested threshold, above which people are liable for their full care costs, should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000;

National eligibility criteria and portable assessments should be introduced to ensure greater consistency; and

All those who enter adulthood with a care and support need should be eligible for free state support immediately rather than being subjected to a means test.

The Commission estimates that its proposals – based on a cap of £35,000 – would cost the State around £1.7billion.